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All of the men died at the Battle of Loos in 1915, and they were buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery located in the town of Loos-en-Gohelle.

A century later, British army honours soldiers killed in WWI

Dulce et decorum est: A fine and fitting funeral after 99 years for the British WW1 soldiers killed in battle and buried in a mass grave

Twenty British soldiers killed during the First World War were today laid to rest near the battlefield where they died nearly 100 years ago.

The bodies were discovered in 2010 near during clearance work for new buildings near Vendin-le-Vieil, north of Arras in France.

All of the men died at the Battle of Loos in 1915, and they were buried at the Dud's Corner, a cemetery run by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission located in the town of Loos-en-Gohelle.

The 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland accorded military honours to the men as they were buried, with the unidentified soldiers commemorated as 'Known unto God'.

Pte McAleer's coffin was given his own burial plot, with his headstone reading '13766, Private W. McAleer Royal Scots Fusiliers, 26th September 1915, age 22'.

The remainder were buried in six other plots side by side.

In thick fog, a piper led six bearers as they carried Pte McAleer's Union flag-draped coffin topped with a wreath, belt and cap past the crowds and the burial plots of hundreds of other fallen soldiers.

A military firing party fired a salute during the service and the Last Post was played.

Mr McLeod, a former Black Watch soldier from Cowdenbeath, wore a Tam o' Shanter hat and a Northern Ireland medal to the service.

He said his grandmother had talked about Pte McAleer, but added that he did not previously know how his ancestor had died.

'I knew about his existence and knew he died in the First World War, but I didn't know his body wasn't found,' the father of two said.

'That was news to myself when the military put out an appeal for his descendants to come forward. It was my cousin who heard the appeal, who in turn contacted my brother.

'To come to the Commonwealth and show my respect, especially as a former soldier, to those who have fallen, is a great honour.

'But to be able to come here in the centenary year and show respect to kith and kin is unique. It's unfortunate that we have the other 19 soldiers unidentified.

'It would have been nice if their descendants were able to show their respects.'

The Battle of Loos featured the first British use of poison gas, and followed a four-day artillery bombardment along a six-and-a-half-mile front.

The attack led by Sir Douglas Haig happened simultaneously as the French attacked the German lines at Champagne and at Vimy Ridge in Arras.

But the Germans were able to successfully hold their position on both fronts, helped by a second line of trenches built six miles behind the front lines.

On September 25 1915, Pte McAleer's battalion had reached Hill 70 to the east of Loos and dug in behind the crest line.

They fought off a German counter-attack during the night before being ordered to attack a German redoubt the following morning.

Although they entered the German trenches, after fierce hand-to-hand fighting they were forced to retreat to their start positions.

They were then subjected to heavy artillery bombardment which led to their withdrawal later after two unsuccessful bids by 21 Division to join up had failed.